More news has been filtering in about the status and welfare of animals and pets effected by Hurricane Ike. Here's a recap:

From the Galveston County Daily News...

Police and members of the Texas Army National Guard rescued three dogs, two cats and a lizard Monday from a veterinarian office after the animals survived the storm surge of Hurricane Ike. Read more...

88 more pets rescued on Galveston Island. Volunteers set up a temporary shelter in the police substation, bringing trailers full of food, cages, leashes and medicine with them. Truckloads of supplies continued to arrive throughout the afternoon.

By 4 p.m. Tuesday, police officers and 23 volunteers, searching on foot across the island, had collected 82 animals. They were rescued from rooftops, inside homes and roaming the streets, officials said. Read more...

Shackle, an 11-year-old African lioness, lies on an altar at the First Baptist Church in Crystal Beach, Texas. She and her owner waded through flood waters to the church after they were unable to make it off Bolivar Peninsula prior to Hurricane Ike's landfall. (Tony Gutierrez / AP)

The Humane Society of the US has been working in Beaumont and Dallas areas rescuing many animals who were left by residents who haven't been able to return to their homes as yet. Read more about their rescue efforts and watch this vid:

From the Houston Chronicle...

Corralling loose animals continued Tuesday along with air and land surveys in Chambers and Jefferson counties continued; Orange and Liberty counties haven't yet been searched.

Yesterday, agriculture officials estimated as many as 20,000 cows and horses were roaming the region. About 15,000 cows have been sighted, officials said. Rescues are continuing and donations of supplies and feed are needed.

Twenty percent of those — about 4,000 cows — did not survive the storm, said Andy Vestal, Texas AgriLife Extension Service liaison to the State Operations Center for Hurricane Ike. Read more...

From MyFox Houston...

The Houston Humane Society (HHS) says it sustained minimal damage as a result of Hurricane Ike. The HHS is currently caring for nearly 500 animals, even though it has no electricity and is running entirely by generators.

Due to its ability to care for and house animals throughout the storm, the HHS has taken in animals from Pasadena Animal Control, LaPorte Animal Control, and animals from several other municipalities.

The shelter still has room for more strays, however, it is rapidly running low on food for the animals and is in desperate need of food, towels, and water for the animals.

The HHS needs donations to properly care for all of the animals. If you are interested in donating, you can either go by their location or email. Houston Humane Society, 14700 Almeda Rd., Houston, TX 77053, Email:helphoustonhumanesociety@gmail.com. Read more...

From KWTX.com...

A tiger is on the loose in Galveston County, Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough said Tuesday. The animal escaped from its enclosure at an exotic pets center, Yarbrough said. Read more...

From the Associated Press...

In the first major Gulf hurricanes since Katrina, officials in cities across Texas say housing the furry, feathered and scaly loved ones of evacuees has for the most part gone well.

Health regulations prohibit the creatures from living in the same rooms as people, so some cities provide transportation so evacuees can visit their pets at animal shelters. That gives them something to do and makes them feel better during a time of upheaval, officials said.

In Austin, officials drop off pet supply kits — including carrying crates and waste disposal bags — before evacuees even arrive at the shelters. Other cities have adopted similar models.

Fort Worth keeps evacuees' pets at the city animal shelter and provides free microchips for the critters to make sure they will be matched with their owners.

Evacuees staying at the Dallas Convention Center can play and cuddle with their pets at another area of the complex just across the street.

The SPCA of Texas took in about 300 animals from Louisiana shelters before Gustav hit earlier this month, then accepted 235 more from South Texas shelters in Ike's path last weekend. That's in addition to the 500 cats and dogs already at the SPCA's two shelters in Dallas and McKinney.

Animal rescue groups in other states helped out by taking some of those cats and dogs, but several hundred remain at the Dallas-area shelters — as well as in other cities. They are up for adoption and won't return to their former shelters, which have to make room for any stranded pets found in the hard-hit cities along the Gulf Coast. Read more...